Casting What-Ifs
Emilio Estevez as Cameron; Molly Ringwald as Sloan; John Cusack as Ferris; Bill Paxton as the garage attendant; Paul Gleason as Ed Rooney
In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:10Read transcript
- Estevez turned down Cameron; he could have done it, since his Breakfast Club jock has dad problems, but the result with Ruck is preferred.
- Estevez, fresh off Repo Man, would have played a punk-rock version rather than Ruck's Cameron. — Chris Ryan
- Ruck had auditioned for Bender, which would not have worked.
- Molly Ringwald wanted to play Sloan; per the hosts, Hughes wanted Mia Sara for her elegance and maturity, and telling Ringwald the part was too small is what you say when you do not want to cast someone.
- Hughes had only Broderick in mind; the backup is said to be John Cusack, who got his iconic high schooler as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything.
- Anthony Michael Hall told Vanity Fair his relationship with Hughes ended after Weird Science and believes roles including Ferris were written for him; one host doubts this, another believes it and calls Hughes vindictive.
- Bill Paxton was offered the garage attendant, turned it down as too small, regretted it, and was never offered another Hughes role.
- Paul Gleason was considered for Ed Rooney; as Dick Vernon he would presumably be on administrative leave after the Breakfast Club detention.
- Gleason would have been distracting; Jeffrey Jones's sitcom, Laurel-and-Hardy energy was the right choice over Gleason's A1-asshole energy. — Sean Fennessey